Four-horse equalizer.



W. MITCHELL.

POUR HORSE EQUALIZER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1909.

$62,245 Fasnted June 22,1910.

2 551 QmZMa/w/ WILLIAM MITCHELL, OF FAIRMOUNT, NORTH DAKOTA.

FOUR-HORSE EQUALIZER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM MrroHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fairmount, in the count-y of Richland and State of NorthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Four- HorseEqualizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fourhorse equalizers.

The primary object of my invent-ion is to provide a four horse evener,of that type where two lead and two wheel horses are employed, theconstruction being such that the draft will be equally distributed.

Another object is to provide a four horse equalizer including a simplyconstructed resilient mechanism.

lVith these and other objects in view, the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter morefully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, itbeing understood that changes in the specific structure shown anddescribed may be made within the scope of the claim without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 shows a top view of a four horse equalizer embodying myinvention, Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detached top view of the resilientcoupling as used in my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates the tongue of avehicle or farm implement to which the four horse equalizer is to besecured. This tongue is provided with the usual hammer strap 2 and theking bolt 3. This king bolt carries the pivotally held cross bar 4:which at its ends carries the clevises 5 in turn supporting the stubtrees 6, two such stub trees being employed. At their outer ends thesestub trees carry the clevises 7 while at their inner ends each stub treeis provided with a link 8 as is clearly disclosed in Fig. 1. Each clevis7 supports a swingletree 9 of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 21, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 513,994.

the usual construction, while extending from the links 8, are the chainsections 10, these chain sections being of equal length. In connectionwith these chain sections, I employ a resilient coupling or shacklecomprising a spring metal bar bent to form the draw ear 12 from whichear extend in opposite directions the two similar arms 13 each armending in a terminal eye 14. The arms 18 have their 'nner ends curved asis shown at 15, these curved portions forming mutually adjacent camfaces for coengagement. Each chain section 10 is secured to oneof theterminal eyes 1 1. These chain sections 10 are of a length less than thelength of the tongue 1 and extending from the draw ear 12 is the dragchain 16 which extends a short distance beyond the front end of thetongue 1. This drag chain 16 is preferably carried through the neck yokecenter as disclosed in Fig. 1. To the forward end of this drag chain 16is secured an ordinary doubletree 18 carrying the usually constructedswingletree 19. This method of construction permits the hitching of twowheel horses to the swingletrees 9 and two horses to the swingletrees19.

In the operation of drawing the vehicle or implement to which thisequalizer is secured, should a rut or stone be encountered which wouldsuddenly check or stop the travel of the machine or implement, the shockincident to the interruption is compensated in that the arms 13 willcurve toward one another within certain limits to absorb and compensatethe shock.

This four horse equalizer is simple and inexpensive in construction andboth durable and efficient in operation. When but two horses are to beemployed, the cross bar 4 is removed and the doubletree 18 secured tothe king pin.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by United States Letters Patent is:

The combination with a wagon tongue, of a cross bar pivotally securedthereto, a stub tree secured to each end of said cross bar, aswingletree secured to the outer end of each stub tree, a chain sectionextending to said car, a doubletree secured to the for- [ward end ofsaid drag chain, "and two swingletrees carried by said 'doubletree.

In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MITCHELL. Witnesses H. KRAUTKREME A. P. ARNEsoN.

